Sources in American constitutional history

In the second revised and expanded edition of this invaluable reader, Michael Les Benedict draws together the important documents that have shaped and been shaped by the American Constitution from medieval times through the present day. It includes not only the most important Supreme Court decisions, but also key American declarations, resolutions, laws, and platforms. All these documents represent, in a sense, the formal expression of the American people's ongoing contract with each other.



The documents in the reader are organized into chapters corresponding to those in the third edition of The Blessings of Liberty: A Concise History of the Constitution of the United States. However, since they reflect the generally accepted canon of American constitutional history, they may supplement any textbook or other readings. The brief introductory headnotes provide information about the social, political, and intellectual context in which each document first appeared.

English origins of American constitutionalism -- Colonial origins of American constitutionalism -- The American revolution -- Establishing new state and federal constitutions -- Constitutional issues in the early republic -- Judicial review, nationalism, and state sovereignty -- Jacksonian democracy and state rights -- Slavery and the constitution -- The constitution and the civil war -- Reconstruction and the constitution -- The industrial state, laissez-faire constitutionalism, and state rights -- The progressive era -- Conservative constitutionalism in the 1920s -- The New Deal and the constitution -- Liberal constitutionalism -- Liberal constitutionalism and equality -- Curbing presidential power -- The revival of constitutional conservatism -- The Supreme Court and conservative constitutionalism -- The erosion of constitutional comity -- The conservative court, the constitution, and judicial supremacy -- Presidentialism and the security state -- Constitution war.